Lifestyle
This energetic dance party hides in a tiny L.A. bar — no cover, no line, no RSVPs
Under red lights, a man in a cowboy hat swings his partner around a crowded dance floor. House and disco music play from a makeshift DJ booth. A tattooed woman with long, red fingernails grips a Buddha-shaped beer bottle. A fashionable couple takes selfies in matching red trucker hats emblazoned with the words “Thai Angel.” They’re two of the many patrons proud to show their loyalty to the bar-restaurant hosting this lively scene. It’s late on a Saturday night in February and just a few hours earlier, there was no DJ and no dancing. Just regulars eating drunken noodles and fried rice at this unassuming spot in Koreatown.
But when Thai Angel’s tiny kitchen closes, the party starts. Through a community of devout regulars and an owner that embraces them, it’s quietly become a drama-free, all-are-welcome place to dance from 9 p.m. until last call just before 2 a.m. No RSVP, no cover, no line outside.
Bartenders Maddox and Isabella serving drinks behind the bar.
A woman indulges in a slice of pizza.
In the back of the L-shaped room, the bathroom line buzzes with strangers bonding over how they found Thai Angel and flexing how many times they’ve visited. It’s the type of conversation you’d expect somewhere like Spotlight, a dress-to-impress nightclub that recently opened in Hollywood, or at an underground warehouse party in East L.A. or downtown. But some young L.A. partygoers are tired of corporate-feeling clubs and exclusive or ticketed events. They’ve gone back to basics — favoring casual bar environments. Gen Z’s recent discovery of 100-year-old Barney’s Beanery has made the late-night roadhouse as hard to get into as the spots the new crowd was seemingly trying to avoid. Thai Angel has no glamorous Hollywood backstory or viral TikTok posts, yet its dance floor is packed.
Jamie Eich, 58, opened the first iteration of Thai Angel, named after her daughter, in 1995 as a karaoke bar in Hollywood. Eight years ago, on her daughter Salanya “Angel” Inm’s 21st birthday, Jamie asked what she wanted. “A bar,” she answered. The current Thai Angel location on Western Avenue was her birthday gift. Thai Angel is co-owned by Jamie, Angel and her brother Boss Inm, 36. After college, Angel, now 29, began working as a waitress and bartender. Boss and Jamie are behind the bar at Thai Angel every day. Angel, who also works as a reiki practitioner and model, is preparing to open an alcohol-free tea lounge upstairs.
The family never set out to make Thai Angel a nightlife hot spot. Sure, it poured strong drinks and stayed open late, but the first DJs to throw parties in the space were just regulars slurping down pad see ew at the bar.
Angel, left, Jamie and Boss, the family team steering Thai Angel.
A pulsating crowd vibes to the beats of the DJ.
Most people inside tonight found the space through a party called SOUP. In 2020, eight friends in the music industry, including Swedish pop star Tove Lo, were looking for a place to throw an informal DJ night. They looked for a venue across L.A. but couldn’t find the right fit, eventually giving up and grabbing a late-night dinner. They ended up at Thai Angel.
The first SOUP was days before the city issued pandemic stay-at-home orders in March 2020. The friends have since put on 13 events at the restaurant. Throwing dance parties at Thai Angel requires promoters to bring in their own DJ and speaker setup, but the environment is worth it.
“People have really responded to the unique feel of Thai Angel and the fun concept of SOUP’s quick DJ rotation,” says SOUP member Samuel Luria. “The setting has a lot to do with it. L.A. nightlife is filled with things worth avoiding … there are plenty of douchey clubs, trendy bars and overpriced and pretentious mixology. There are also fun spots where the owners have applied care and vision in order to create a fun and unique environment. Thai Angel is one of those spots.”
On party nights, the eight friends arrive early to enjoy an off-menu vegan tom kha soup prepared by Jamie, with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.
Tonight, the crowd at Thai Angel is courtesy of DJ collective Friends of Friends of Friends. Previously, they threw house parties and DJed the occasional wedding, but the trio was inspired by SOUP and began throwing events at Thai Angel last September. “Jamie immediately welcomed us as her family,” said co-founder Collin Sommers. “For a city known for its glitz and glam, there’s a lot of authenticity in the spaces below the surface. Thai Angel is just one story, amongst many in L.A., of a women-owned, family-owned business that truly foster community.”
Jamie, who is a single mother, enjoys her role as welcoming committee and secondary mom to Thai Angel patrons. Some regulars don’t know her first name and refer to her only as “Mom.” She encourages it. A handwritten note tacked to the bar displays her username for digital payments as “Thai-Mom.” The nickname was popularized by DJ and actor Ian Alexander Jr., who died by suicide at 26. Jamie credits him for throwing weekly DJ nights starting in 2018 that laid the foundation for Thai Angel to become an if-you-know-you-know nightlife spot. “He loved doing it. He’d greet me with ‘Hi, Mom, how are you?’ He made this place pop. I think that he’s still here with us,” she said.
A vibrant crowd energizes the dance floor.
Angel believes the family dynamic is responsible for the warm and welcoming environment. “It’s a very small, narrow space. It’s cozy. In my mind it really does feel like a living room, a house party. People come here and they feel at home,” she says.
In addition to this spot, Jamie owns two bars in Bangkok, also named Thai Angel. “We set goals here. Like Nike said, just do it,” Jamie says.
At midnight, a man bobs and weaves through the crowd holding a stack of giant pizza boxes. Jamie immediately waves him over to the last booth, where he begins giving out slices for free. Scotty Chappell, co-owner of Swizzle Pizza, an East Hollywood pop-up, has been coming to Thai Angel for seven years. He initially stumbled in while working at a restaurant down the street. Before opening Swizzle, Chappell and his business partners experimented with serving Thai pizzas out of the Thai Angel oven.
“Thai Angel has always been there for us. It’s a chosen family in a city where that feels so hard to find. We’re there for them too, whether it’s helping them close up on busy nights, taking out the trash, washing dishes or bringing in a ton of pizza to feed a party so they can actually have a break from cooking their delicious Thai food,” Chappell says.
At 1 a.m., the dance floor shows no signs of slowing down. Jamie has changed into a “I <3 Thai Angel” T-shirt. Angel is passing out homemade lemon bars, courtesy of a regular who calls the bar their “Cheers.” Across Los Angeles, the Saturday night crowd is waiting in line for a hot bar or racking up an Uber bill as they search for the next better party. If only they knew what was hiding in plain sight.
Follow Thai Angel on Instagram @thaiangelbar for information about upcoming events.
Now you can pair your big show with dinner and a more intimate listening experience. The Hollywood Palladium, an Art Deco music venue graced by performers like Frank Sinatra, Richard Pryor, Jimi Hendrix, Lady Gaga and Jay-Z since 1940, has debuted a swanky lounge known as Vinyl Room.
Inspired by 1970s Japanese high-fidelity (hi-fi for short) listening rooms and operated by entertainment company Live Nation, it’s a space where concertgoers can have dinner, grab drinks and catch a vinyl DJ set before, during or after their ticketed event in the same venue.
With a name like Vinyl Room, you can expect to see vinyl records everywhere.
“You’re in [for] a whole night of music,” says Geni Lincoln, president of the California region for Live Nation, adding that her team put “so much thought” into the sound and design of the space, which was in development for more than two years.
“I’ve been coming to the Palladium since I was a teenager, so it’s really special to see,” she says.
Entering Vinyl Room feels like you’re stepping into a secret speakeasy for music lovers, one with iconic music memorabilia, a thoughtful food menu and premium sound quality. Want to check it out? Here are five things to know.
Everything inside of Vinyl Room is inspired by the sounds and the musicians who’ve played at the Hollywood Palladium since 1940.
1. Vinyl Room is exclusively open to members and concertgoers with an upgraded ticket
Vinyl Room is open only on Hollywood Palladium show nights, starting 90 minutes before doors open, and remains open one hour after the concert. Admission is limited to concertgoers who purchase a ticket upgrade, which starts at $35. Early reservations are recommended.
Vinyl Room also offers annual membership packages, which start at $2,000 and come with various benefits such as complimentary guest passes to Vinyl Room, access to an exclusive menu, valet parking, table reservations inside the lounge, a dedicated private entry, complimentary coat check and concert ticket credits.
Tip Dunn, also known as DJ tenSpeed, played records during opening night at Vinyl Room at the Hollywood Palladium.
2. Hi-fi is having a moment in Los Angeles — and Vinyl Room delivers on sound quality
From Common Wave Hi-Fi in Boyle Heights to Slow Jamz Gallery in the Arts District and Gold Line bar in Highland Park, hi-fi — a 1950s term used to describe the high-quality reproduction of sound — venues and experiences have been slowly popping up around L.A. over the last few years. Vinyl Room joins a short list of places where audiophiles can go to listen to music on hi-fi equipment, which many argue is the best way to experience it.
Much like the Hollywood Palladium, which is known for its top-tier sound, Vinyl Room also makes sound a priority. The lounge utilizes hi-fi sound equipment including Master Sounds Clarity-M speakers to ensure that the records sound as crisp as possible. Live DJs spin records on a set of turntables, which helps to create a richer and more analog sound that is closer to the original track than compressed versions such as MP3s.
Ruthie Embry, vice president of architecture and design at Live Nation, says the records and other memorabilia inside the space “connects you directly to the venue’s history the second you walk in the door.”
3. All of the decor ties back to music and the Hollywood Palladium’s rich history
With a name like Vinyl Room, you can expect to see vinyls everywhere. Records line most of the walls and shelves, drinks are served on vinyl-shaped coasters and tables and light fixtures are designed to the theme. There’s even vinyl wallpaper in the photo booth. In one corner of the lounge, you can dig through records under a neon sign that reads, “But have you heard it on vinyl?”
Ruthie Embry, vice president of architecture and design at Live Nation, says the records and other memorabilia inside the space “connects you directly to the venue’s history the second you walk in the door.”
Some standout items include a Red Hot Chili Peppers show flier, a Hollywood Palladium postcard signed by late musician and host Lawrence Welk and a photo of late singers Bonnie Baker and Orrin Tucker at the venue. Even the bathroom creates a memorable photo moment: The stalls are filled with photos of musicians and an “on air” studio sign lights up when a stall is occupied.
Vinyl Room’s menu, created by Chef Ryan DeRieux, is inspired by Asian flavors and includes items like the “Vinyl Roll,” which is made with spicy tuna.
4. Don’t worry about dinner plans before or after the show. Vinyl Room has got you covered
Eliminating the need to find a pre- or post-show restaurant, Vinyl Room has a full Asian-inspired menu created by Chef Ryan DeRieux.
Think sushi tots (like crispy tuna but with tater tots instead of rice), tuna poke nachos, chili crunch chicken wings and shiitake tempura burgers. There’s also a mouth-watering 10-ounce American wagyu skirt steak served with shishito peppers, pickles and charred carrots. For dessert, try the taiyaki, a popular fish-shaped Japanese street food, which is served with a delicious passion fruit cream that I wanted to take to go because I liked it so much.
Signature cocktails at Vinyl Room, inspired by popular songs, include the Superfly, Escape (if you like piña coladas) and Smoke on the Water.
5. The craft cocktails aren’t just delicious — they each have a story
Vinyl Room’s old-fashioned is made with Nikka Yoichi whisky, which is made in Japan.
The cocktail program, developed by third-generation bartender Sean Kenyon, is inspired by the songs created by musicians who’ve graced the Hollywood Palladium stage. A nod to the 1970s, the Superfly is a fizzy, citrus-forward play on Curtis Mayfield’s 1972 track and is made with Roku Gin and yuzu and sencha syrup. Other signature drinks include the rum-based Escape (if you like piña coladas) with coconut oolong syrup, pineapple juice and miso, and the tart yet sweet Smoke on the Water, which is reminiscent of Deep Purple’s 1972 song. The bar also offers an espresso martini (called the MT Joy), a signature old-fashioned (made with Nikka Yoichi whisky) and a Japanese whiskey highball (made with Hibiki Harmony whisky). The bar offers a number of non-alcoholic options as well.
A screenshot from George Mélière’s Gugusse et l’Automate. The pioneering French filmmaker’s 1897 short, which likely features the first known depiction of a robot on film, was thought lost until it was found among a box of old reels that had belonged to a family in Michigan and restored by the Library of Congress.
The Frisbee Collection/Library of Congress
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The Frisbee Collection/Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has found and restored a long-lost silent film by Georges Méliès.
The famed 19th century French filmmaker is best known for his groundbreaking 1902 science fiction adventure masterpiece Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon).
The 45-second-long, one-reel short Gugusse et l’Automate – Gugusse and the Automaton – was made nearly 130 years ago. But the subject matter still feels timely. The film, which can be viewed on the Library of Congress’ website, depicts a child-sized robot clown who grows to the size of an adult and then attacks a human clown with a stick. The human then decimates the machine with a hammer.
In an Instagram post, Library of Congress moving image curator Jason Evans Groth said the film represents, “probably the first instance of a robot ever captured in a moving image.” (The word “robot” didn’t appear until 1921, when Czech dramatist Karel Čapek coined it in his science fiction play R.U.R..)
“Today, many of us are worried about AI and robots,” said archivist and filmmaker Rick Prelinger, in an email to NPR. “Well, people were thinking about robots in 1897. Very little is new.”
A long journey
Groth said the film arrived in a box last September from a donor in Michigan, Bill McFarland. “Bill’s great grandfather, William Frisbee, was a person who loved technology,” Groth said. “And in the late 19th century, must have bought a projector and a bunch of films and decided to drive them around in his buggy to share them with folks in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York.”
McFarland didn’t know what was on the 10 rusty reels he dropped off at the Library of Congress’ National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Va. A Library article about the discovery describes the battered, pre-World War I artifacts as having been, “shuttled around from basements to barns to garages,” and that they, “could no longer be safely run through a projector,” owing to their delicate condition. “The nitrate film stock had crumbled to bits on some; other strips were stuck together,” the article said. It was a lab technician in Michigan who suggested McFarland contact the Library of Congress.
“The moment we set our eyes on this box of film, we knew it was something special,” said George Willeman, who heads up the Library’s nitrate film vault, in the article.
Willeman’s team carefully inspected the trove of footage, which also contained another well-known Méliès film, Nouvelles Luttes extravagantes (The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match) and parts of The Burning Stable, an early Thomas Edison work. With the help of an external expert, they identified the reel as having been created by Méliès because it features a star painted on a pedestal in the center of the screen – the logo for Méliès Star Film Company.
A pioneering filmmaker
Méliès was one of the great pioneers of cinema. The scene in which a rocket lands playfully in the eye of Méliès’ anthropomorphic moon in Le Voyage dans la Lune is one of the most famous moments in cinematic history. And he helped to popularize such special effects as multiple exposures and time-lapse photography.
This moment from George Méliès’ Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) is considered to be one of the most famous in cinematic history.
George Méliès/Public Domain
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George Méliès/Public Domain
Presumed lost until the Library of Congress’s discovery, Gugusse et L’Automate loomed large in the imaginations of science fiction and early cinema buffs for more than a century. In their 1977 book Things to Come: An Illustrated History of the Science Fiction Film, authors Douglas Menville and R. Reginald described Gugusse as possibly being, “the first true SF [science fiction] film.”
“While it may seem that no more discoveries remain to be made, that’s not the case,” said Prelinger of the work’s reappearance. “Here’s a genuine discovery from the early days of film that no one anticipated.”
Joshua Jackson
I Got the Eye of the Tiger!!!
Published
BACKGRID
Joshua Jackson may have picked up a thing or two from “Karate Kid: Legends” … we got video of him going H.A.M. in a boxing gym with a trainer.
Watch the video … the 47-year-old actor ditched his shirt for the workout, really working up a sweat as he bobbed and weaved in the ring while throwing in some pretty impressive jabs!
He later goes to work solo on a speed bag like an old pro.
Joshua has publicly said that starring in “Karate Kid: Legends” in the role of a former boxer was a dream for him, but there’s no word on whether he’s training for another role or just really fell in love with boxing.
Either way … you’re looking great, Joshua!
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